Attorney General

Indiana AG won’t be charged for alleged groping; prosecutor says he can’t prove intent

A special prosecutor won’t charge Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill with battery for allegedly touching four women inappropriately during an end-of-the-legislative session party in March. In a press conference on Tuesday, special prosecutor Daniel Sigler said he found the four accusers—including a state representative—to be credible, but he doesn’t believe…

Oct 24, 2018 12:49 PM CDT

Sessions blasts judicial activism and deposition order in case on census citizenship question

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in prepared remarks on Monday that “judges are not sent from Olympus,” and the idea that they must act with empathy is “heresy.”

Oct 16, 2018 9:50 AM CDT

New leader of Justice Department’s civil rights division had defended companies accused of bias

A former Jones Day partner who has represented companies in discrimination lawsuits was confirmed last Thursday to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division. The Senate vote to confirm Eric Dreiband was 50-47, report Bloomberg Law, Reuters and the Hill. Some civil-rights and gay-rights groups had opposed Dreiband’s nomination, citing…

Oct 15, 2018 1:40 PM CDT

Justice Department will oppose consent decree to reform Chicago Police Department

The U.S. Department of Justice will file a statement of interest opposing a pending consent decree in Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Justice Department’s opposition to the decree reforming the police department in a statement on Tuesday, report…

Oct 10, 2018 12:25 PM CDT

GOP will seek Rosenstein appearance to explain alleged Trump wire suggestion, lawmaker says

House Republicans have agreed to call Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for a closed-door meeting to discuss his alleged suggestion that he secretly record President Donald Trump, according to a tweet by a GOP congressman. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina tweeted Friday that leadership agreed to call Rosenstein so…

Sep 28, 2018 11:23 AM CDT

Groups decry Sessions’ ruling that limits judges’ ability to dismiss deportation cases

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ruled that immigration judges have no inherent authority to dismiss cases, provoking an outcry from immigration-law-focused groups. Reuters and CNN have stories.

Sep 24, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

DOJ review finds immigrant legal education program ineffective; provider calls study flawed

A Justice Department review of its own legal education program for immigrants has found that those in the program are remaining in detention for longer on average than non-participants, the Associated Press has reported. But a nonprofit that provides the education says the DOJ’s study has "insurmountable methodological flaws."

Sep 21, 2018 3:55 PM CDT

Trump weighs in on scheduled Kavanaugh public hearing, slams Sessions once more

In a wide-ranging interview, President Donald Trump spoke about sexual assault allegations against his second U.S. Supreme Court nominee and lamented “I don’t have an attorney general.” When asked about the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Trump on Tuesday told the Hill “we have to let both sides speak.” “We have…

Sep 20, 2018 11:33 AM CDT

Right of association isn’t infringed by disclosure of charitable donors to state, 9th Circuit says

A public interest law firm and a charitable group co-founded by the Koch brothers have to comply with the California attorney general’s demand for information regarding top charitable donors, a federal appeals court has ruled. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that there was no…

Sep 12, 2018 2:13 PM CDT

Trump: Sessions should investigate who wrote anonymous New York Times op-ed

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate the recent New York Times opinion piece that was anonymously written by a White House senior official. “I would say (Attorney General Jeff Sessions) should be investigating who the author of that piece was because…

Sep 7, 2018 2:53 PM CDT

Sessions to meet state AGs on whether social media firms are ‘intentionally stifling’ free speech

Jeff Sessions announced Wednesday that he will discuss social media companies and concerns about anticompetitive behavior this month with state attorneys general, the Wall Street Journal reports. The U.S. attorney general is also concerned about platforms “intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas,” the agency said in a statement, according…

Sep 5, 2018 3:46 PM CDT

Sessions says he won’t be influenced by political considerations after new Trump criticism

Jeff Sessions defended himself in a formal statement on Thursday after President Donald Trump said in a televised interview that his selection for attorney general “never took control” of the Justice Department. Sessions said he did indeed have control of the department and he won’t be improperly influenced by political…

Aug 23, 2018 1:57 PM CDT

Federal judge appointed by Trump rejects challenge to Mueller’s authority

A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump has rejected a challenge to Robert Mueller’s authority. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich upheld the special counsel’s appointment on Monday in a challenge by a Russian firm, Concord Management and Consulting, report the National Law Journal and Politico. Concord Management was among…

Aug 13, 2018 10:07 AM CDT

Trump tweet says Sessions is ‘scared stiff and missing in action’

President Donald Trump criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a tweet on Saturday and said he may get involved in a lawsuit seeking text messages from fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. “Our A.G. is scared stiff and Missing in Action. It is all starting to be revealed—not pretty. IG…

Aug 13, 2018 8:20 AM CDT

Federal judge orders return of deportation flight carrying 2 plaintiffs in asylum-policy challenge

A federal judge on Thursday threatened to begin contempt proceedings against Attorney General Jeff Sessions if the government did not turn around a plane carrying two deported plaintiffs to El Salvador in a lawsuit challenging new asylum policies.

Aug 10, 2018 10:12 AM CDT